Potential Client - Dog Agility trainer

Sarah-Lou

I have no idea where to find info regarding this one!

Potential client is a dog agility trainer, she runs classes Monday / Tue / Wed lunchtime through to evening. She has 5 dogs of which she has trained herself, uses them at classes to show how to do certain courses and she does demonstrations to promote her classes.

Of course she is dog lover and would most probably have some dogs anything (probably not 5 lol) can she incorporate some expenses in her business? The van question yesterday related to her also - she fits her business van out with cages to transport her dogs around to classes.

HMRC got any guidance on this? Anybody come across this before?

Thank you

Sarah-Lou

T.C.

I have a client who keeps and also trains horses. She uses her own horse for demonstrations etc. I would say that this expense for the cages is allowable because the dogs are used for demonstrations etc. Maybe, you should include a personal use element. That's my opinion anyway.

stevo5678

I have a client with 5 businesses on organising dog agility shows.

I don't see any special rules, it would just be the wholly and exclusive regime to consider for expenses.

Agree that the van is allowable.

JodieR

Maybe I'm being overly cautious here but I think that the dogs would fail the duality of use test. Might be best to write to HMRC with an outline of how you propose to account for the costs and see if they agree to it.

I don't see a problem with the van or cages though as they would have been purchased for the business

Monsoon

When it comes to duality items such as these, my argument is always "just because you love your job/ bought a more expensive computer that's pink" doesn't mean it's disallowable because you get pleasure from it.

Most people won't have 5 dogs. The dog or two she got first - or before she started trading - will probably be pets. If she only got the other dogs because of the business, then I would call them allowable. Just because she loves them doesn't make them non-business. Even full time working animals in farms/ riding stables, for example, have to have some time when they are not working, and can have owners/keepers that love them. If a dog is bought wholly and exclusively for business, then the fact that they by default become a pet in the evening is irrelevant - what are you going to do, lock it in a kennel at the office all night??